This week, F&W's Test Kitchen Supervisor Marcia Kiesel prepared a Red Kuri Squash Soup from Alice Waters that exemplifies the farm-to-table pioneer's culinary philosophy: Cooking should exalt the finest seasonal ingredients. Red kuri squash—sometimes called Japanese squash—produces a gorgeous deep-orange soup that is nutty, slightly sweet and naturally creamy. Waters uses water as a base, as opposed to stock, and enhances the flavor of the soup with simple aromatics like onion and bay leaf. For fun, she recommends adding a variety of garnishes, like pecans, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh herbs and our favorite, roasted fennel. This recipe will go to print early next year, but for now, we can recommend a healthy alternative from another West Coast chef: Thomas Keller protégé Timothy Hollingsworth tops his roasted squash soup with pecans and maple-glazed bananas.